TISS Hyderabad campuses are inaccessible for the SC-ST students
In a recent incident Dr seema Singh, an associate professor at the IIT, Kharagpur, was seen abusing students, calling them “bloody bastards” for allegedly not standing up for the national anthem during an online preparatory english course class meant for SC-ST students, and students with physical disabilities. This incident drew sharp reactions from the SC-ST-OBC student community across universities, and IIT Kharagpur alumni networks who condemned her casteist behavior. SC-ST student groups pointed out that the issue was not about the national anthem, but rather her attitude towards those SC-ST students who dared to enter these so-called meritorious institutions. These issues are not specific to any one institution. This kind of caste-based discrimination can be seen across all so-called premier higher education institutions across the country. The complete lack of representation of students from the SC-ST communities in the foreign exchange program (FEPs) at TISS, hyderabad Off –Campus is a prime example of this kind of caste-based discrimination.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), a public funded university, has three major off-campuses namely TISS Tuljapur Off-Campus, TISS hyderabad Off-Campus and TISS guwahati Off-Campus. The TISS, hyderabad, established as an off-campus in 2011, provides international exposure for its students through Student Exchange Programs. However, we found that all FEPs organised by TISS hyderabad campus are inaccessible for the SC-ST students of the institute. At the TISS hyderabad campus, not a single student from the SC-ST community has been selected for the (MA & BA) FEPs since its inception. The student FEPs in india have been exclusively for the so-called upper caste or Savarna students who by default are considered more “meritorious” which calls into question the truth of the inclusive education policy claim made by TISS.